Unlike the band's televised audition, the second appearance was taped in an empty auditorium, except for the celebrity judges. Mandel, who routinely chides contestants for performing original material, flashed a look of smug disapproval as the band introduced its new single, "Feel The Beat."

"It looked like he already had his mind made up before we did the song," singer/guitarist Nick Fradiani said in a phone interview last week.

Still, losing in the reality TV world usually comes with a consolation prize. For Beach Avenue, it was an influx of fans, many of whom are expected to come out for the band's performance at Alive@Five on Thursday, Aug. 7. (Jake Miller will headline the show.)

"Our fanbase in Connecticut has increased dramatically," Zipp said, referring to the positive aftershocks of the band's spot on "America's Got Talent." "There are people who lived 15 to 20 minutes away from us who had never heard us before who are coming out to our shows."

Though Beach Avenue only appeared twice on the program, it only took one performance -- their audition -- for viewers to fall in love with them. Ignoring Mandell's oft-repeated advice against playing an original song, the trio, which includes mandolin player/vocalist Nick Abraham, got a standing ovation from the in-studio audience with a tight rendition of their arena-ready single, "Coming Your Way." Even Mandell was impressed.

"You commented on the fact that ... I don't think it is smart to do original music," the judge said. "As it turned out today, I like this song."

Almost overnight, the single catapulted into the Top 50 of the iTunes chart. Fradiani admits that at first, he was "skeptical" about performing an original.

"I know how these shows work, and I didn't think it would go over well," he said. "I thank (Zipp and Abraham) every day for convincing me to do it. The way it went down, it was better than I ever could have imagined."

Inklings of Beach Avenue's future success came in the summer of 2011, when the band competed in and won Mohegan Sun's annual regional Battle of the Bands. (In need of a name on deadline, Zipp, Fradiani and Abraham settled on Beach Avenue, the shorefront street they lived on in Milford.)

The band capitalized on the momentum, performing throughout Connecticut and releasing two EPs -- "Something To Believe In" and "Driving That Road." As proof of their popularity, Beach Avenue was nominated for both Best Overall and Best New Band at the Connecticut Music Awards this year.

Getting booted from "America's Got Talent" was a blow to the band. But now, Zipp, Fradiani and Abraham are riding a wave of optimism: Their fanbase is growing, the gigs keep on coming and they have plenty of audience energy to feed off of.

"If we could make a profession out of what we're doing, it could be amazing," Abraham said. "The fact that we gained such a huge fanbase -- that helps us a lot. We have a lot more to work with now."